#17
In all the time he’d known her, he’d never received such an out-of-the-blue request. Uijin wasn’t usually this inconsiderate. A fan’s love for their idol seemed more blind than he’d thought.
Having heard many stories about Imun, Hajun wanted to be the last person to put him in an awkward position. Fearing she might make another request, he raised his guard significantly.
“So, what’s up?”
“Oh right! That day we did the roulette event. I heard you agreed to collab with Sorit. Maybe it’s because the boss doesn’t check his broadcast emails, but Sorit keeps contacting me asking to set a date. By the way, you weren’t actually planning to do the collab, right?”
“Ah, yeah. The situation made it awkward to refuse… it just happened that way.”
“I knew it! I wondered why you suddenly agreed to a collab. So that person… is he trying to ride your viral fame?”
“Viral? What do you mean…?”
“Boss, that day you hit #1 on real-time trends. Your follower count has exploded on both YouTube and Twitch.”
Unbelievable. This news was nothing short of shocking. He’d been startled enough when news articles appeared just from Imun’s voice briefly being on his broadcast, but he never dreamed it would reach the real-time search rankings.
When he logged into Twitch and checked his channel, his face contorted. As she said, his follower count had at least doubled.
Among Legend of Legend content viewers, he was a fairly well-recognized streamer. In other words, it shouldn’t be possible for his followers to suddenly explode like this.
Was this the first time he’d seen such a jump in almost two years? The growth rate resembled his early days when he was just making a name for himself—it was frightening beyond surprising. He stared blankly at the monitor, unsure if this was something to be happy about.
“Anyway boss, I think it’s better to prepare different content for next week’s broadcast instead of doing the usual. Since your name is constantly being mentioned in On The Sky fan cafes and communities, I think Imun’s fans will flood your stream.”
“Right, thanks for letting me know.”
“It’s the weekend, so get some fresh air instead of staying cooped up inside!” Having said everything she wanted to, Uijin mentioned she had plans with friends and abruptly left. Hajun turned off Discodi after suddenly losing his conversation partner and adjusted his posture.
What should he do about this? After staring intently at his follower count for several minutes with furrowed brows, he let out a hollow laugh and held his forehead. It felt like an unprecedented major event had erupted in his previously quiet streaming life.
To think the gaming friend he’d finally opened up to and befriended was an idol. And not just any idol, but an extremely successful one. Anyone he might ask would surely find the situation fascinating. As he mentally replayed his conversations with Imun, he glanced at KaTok.
Still no message from him. Since his comeback was approaching, it would be even harder to chat going forward.
After sending him a brief message of encouragement, Hajun gripped his mouse once more. He planned to gather more information to prepare for Imun’s fans who would soon invade his broadcast.
*
That evening, while chatting with his grandmother over fruit, a message from Imun arrived. He’d been waiting for the contact all day and felt like dancing with joy.
“That friend from before?” “Yes, that’s right.” He responded casually to her while focusing on the chat, his face blooming with a wide smile.
[Hyung, I’m sorry I was really busy today]
[Is now a good time to call?]
[Yeah that’s fine]
[Would you like to video call?]
Suddenly?! Startled, he dropped his fork with a clang. ‘Hyung lol why aren’t you answering,’ ‘Let’s video call, okay?’ Before he could collect himself, messages kept coming from Imun. Hajun gulped down cold water as he stared at KaTok in shock.
Imun was fundamentally kind and polite, but occasionally he didn’t hesitate to play mischievous pranks like this.
As he quickly gathered his scattered thoughts and engaged in a staring contest with his phone, his grandmother curiously leaned over, trying to peek at the chat content.
If he stayed, she would likely ask to speak with Imun again like before. Watching her carefully, Hajun seized the right moment and fled to his room.
Catching his breath as he sat on the bed, his phone vibrated repeatedly. Unable to ignore the other’s contact, he struggled before reluctantly sending a reply.
[Out of nowhere like this?;;]
[Haha we already know each other’s faces anyway]
[That’s true lol]
That was true, but a video call so suddenly! Deciding whether to call Imun wasn’t something he could easily determine. While he was pacing around his room, unable to reach a conclusion, a video call came through as if the other couldn’t wait any longer.
“You should at least give me time to prepare!”
Fumbling with his phone, Hajun roughly tousled the back of his hair.
As Imun said, they already knew each other’s faces. Recalling the On The Sky stage videos he’d watched obsessively again today, he calmed his tumultuous heart.
Are you really the idol Imun I saw in the videos? Though it felt sudden, this was a good opportunity to confirm the other’s identity with his own eyes.
I can do this, I can do this! After taking several deep breaths, he accepted the call, and Imun filled the screen.
“Hello, hyung.”
“Hi…”
It’s really him. His dazzling, elegant face that anyone would recognize as a celebrity’s was identical to what he’d seen in videos. Despite thinking he’d be fine having seen so much material, actually facing Imun brought immediate awkwardness.
While spending time needlessly glancing at the screen, his attention was suddenly captured by Imun’s exceptionally sparkling brown eyes.
“Your eyes are so pretty. Are those colored contacts?”
“Yes, they are. Wow… I’m embarrassed.”
What did I just say?! The honest thought he’d blurted out was impossible to take back. “It’s been a while since someone called me pretty.” “S-sorry.” While shedding tears of regret internally, Imun also seemed embarrassed as he turned his head away.
“A-anyway, why the sudden video call?”
“Just because. I wanted to see your face, hyung. You don’t stream on weekends either.”
“My face is all over YouTube and Twitch if you search.”
“That’s true for me too. But talking face to face is different.”
Imun smiled brightly with his flawless logic. His face, already radiant even when still, shone even more with the added smile. “I… I see.” Hajun replied sheepishly, unconsciously dropping his gaze.
The suffocating silence that had occurred when they first spoke returned once more. His mind was filled only with the thought that he should say something, anything. Just as he was clearing his throat, pretending to be casual:
“Have you had dinner?”
“Of course. I was just having fruit for dessert after dinner. How about you, have you eaten?”
“Haha. Yes. Quite a while ago… I’ve been deliberately avoiding dinner lately.”
“…You’re not skipping because you don’t have time, right? You’re so busy these days, you don’t have to force yourself to call.”
When there was no reply, he curiously raised his head slightly. In the quiet stillness, after a few minutes of pointless staring contest, he finally gave up and rolled his eyes. It seemed he needed to practice making eye contact with the other.
Idol or whatever, he’s just Imun, just Imun! After quickly giving himself this pep talk and looking at the screen again, Imun responded with a gentle eye-smile as if he’d been waiting for this moment. Hajun felt dizzy.
I need equipment… equipment! It was like fighting a fully upgraded opponent bare-handed. While biting his cheek to regain composure, a soft laugh penetrated his eardrums.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Of course, how could I not worry…”
And yet your replies are so slow when we chat. He silently swallowed the words he couldn’t say, abandoning the playful thought.
Even today he’d checked his messenger dozens of times, but he couldn’t tell Imun that. Asking for more frequent contact from someone who barely had time for games, let alone sleep, would only be selfish.
As he soothed his sore feelings and followed Imun’s lead by crinkling the corners of his eyes, Imun’s consistently upturned mouth corners slightly relaxed. His expression suggested he’d seen something surprising.
Is there something on my face? While secretly checking his appearance, Imun smiled again as if nothing had happened.
“After all, seeing your face is better than just hearing your voice. Could you show your face on live broadcasts too after my comeback?”
“Huh? On stream?”
“I heard you don’t usually show your face on broadcasts.”
His tone suggested he knew everything about Hajun’s habits. Just as Hajun had searched for information about Imun, the other must have easily searched for details about him too. Frantically recalling his last-viewed profile, Hajun spoke.
“…Couldn’t we just video call like this occasionally?”
“Once I’m active again… you’ll be able to see even my pores on livestream…”
Imun mischievously frowned and added, “This isn’t fair.” It was really awkward to flatly refuse him to his face. While hesitating with a troubled expression, Hajun noticed Imun’s fingertips, reddened from cold.
Imun was dressed in clothes with absolutely no insulation, with only a thin blanket draped over his shoulders. The unknown open space and dark night sky behind him belatedly caught Hajun’s attention.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
